Double plug door sealing arrangement



July 1, 1969 J. n. BAILEY 3,452,431

DOUBLE PLUG DOOR SEALING ARRANGEMENT Fund uw. la'. 1967 sheet l of s INVENTOR JOHN D. BAILEY ATT'Y.

July 1, 1969 J. 11B/LEY 3,452,481

DOUBLE PLUG DOOR SEALING ARRANGEMENT Filed Nov. 1s, 1967 sheet of :s

l l 44 I4 7 y l l, Y 'Ww f Uitl W l l 4 l l 7l 48 58 l 55 46 j k p/ f\wmvwv\ /NVENTOR JOHN' D. BAILEY ATT'Y.

July l, 1969 J. D. BAILEY DOUBLE PLUG DOOR SEALING ARRANGEMENT sheet 3 ors Filed Nov. 13. 1967 INVENTOR JOHN D. BAILEY Evi/M ATT'Y.

United States Patent O Int. Cl. E06b 1/00 U.S. Cl. 49-485 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fdouble plug door for covering the side opening of a railway box car with one auxiliary door having a three sided Igasket on its inner peripheral edge and being provided with sealing aps which are positioned against the upper and lower framing members of the door during the closed position of both doors. The sealing aps are engaged by a four sided gasket on the second door to provide upper and lower corner door seals for the side opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention has to do with the provision of two or more doors serving to cooperate with each other to seal an enlarged unobstructed ydoor opening. Such large door openings are frequently provided in the sides of |box cars though the invention is applicable also to other vehicles where unobstructed large openings have to be sealed and closed by a plurality of doors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Applicants Patent 3,179,984 shows a double plug door arrangement for closing the enlarged side opening of a freight car. Various sealing gaskets for achieving this purpose also are shown in this particular arrangement. The problem in the prior art has been to seal the door opening which is located at the upper and lower meeting points of adjacent door edges. If the door opening were provided with a center door post the problem would be simple in that each door could contain a four sided gasket which at the meeting point of the doors in the center would eiectively provide for sealing the opening. However in an unobstructed opening with double plug doors a different problem is presented. In such a design the doors are placed in a closed position and adjacent edges of the door are sealed through the vertical extent thereof by gaskets. However at the upper and lower ends of the adjacent door edges wherein they meet with the upper and lower forming members of the door, a sealing problem exists. In the prior art the problem has been solved by the utilization of a three sided rubber gasket on one of the doors with a fourth connecting integral ilap portion which provides a fourth side and is also of rubber construction adapted to overlap the upper and lower framing members delining the door opening so as to provide a seal at this critical point. The present invention is an improvement over this construction.

SUMMARY The present invention comprises a gasket arrangement for a double plug door wherein an auxiliary door includes a three sided deformable gasket which includes upper and lower terminal portions in the closed position of the door lying over the upper and lower framing members of the door opening. The terminal portions of the flexible gasket are connected to upper and lower sealing llaps which are formed of a relatively stiff and inelastic plastic material, these tlaps lying against the upper and lower framing members and being removably connected to the terminal portions of the three sided gasket. The removable con- 3,452,481 Patented July l, 1969 ICC nection of the sealing iiaps includes interlocking and interengaging members on the terminal portions and the sealing aps. In the closed position the second door with its four sided gasket has one of its vertical gasket sections sealingly engaged with a flange portion on the auxiliary door, the said gasket section also serving to engage the upper and lower sealing elements thereby effectively sealing these critical portions of the door opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is an exploded perspective view showing a door opening in a railway car and a pair of plug doors for said opening;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view, partially in section, showing the lower corner of an auxiliary plug door including a sealing ap in position against the lower frame member of the door opening;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing in addition the corner of a second plug door and sealing arrangement therewith;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a terminal end portion of a gasket showing in exploded fashion a sealing ap adapted to cooperate with the terminal end at the lower corner of an auxiliary door gasket; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective View showing the upper right hand corner of an auxiliary door and including a corner `sealing flap arrangement adapted to be engaged in sealing relation by the corner gasket arrangement of a second plug door.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 a railway box car is generally designated by the reference character 10. The box car 10` includes a side wall 11 having a rectangular frame 12 comprising an upper frame member 13, a lower frame member 14, and side frame members 15 providing the peripheral edges of a door opening 16. The box car 10 comprises a suitable car iloor 17. Above and below the door opening 16 there are provided suitable tracks 18 (only one of which is shown) which support plug doors in conventional fashion.

The present invention concerns the enlarged door opening 16 wherein it is desired to close the same by two or more plug doors which can readily be swung to an open position. A rst or auxiliary door is generally designated by the reference character 419 and comprises a formed peripheral upper section 20 and a formed peripheral lower section 21. Side sections 22 and 23 suitably connect the sections 20 and 21 as indicated. The sections 20, 21 and 22 in effect provide a rectangular peripheral gasket-carrying edge about the auxiliary door 19. The door 19 further includes a wall 24. The second door shown in FIG. 1 is indicated by the reference character 26 and is generally of similar construction as the auxiliary door 19.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. l, 2 and v6 the auxiliary door 19 is provided with a side or edge 27, in the closed position of the doors 19 and 26, generally being adjacent to an edge of the second door 26. The sections 20, 21 and 22 suitably support a three sided rubber gasket designated at 28 Iwhich consists of a vertical section 29 and horizontal sections 30. The gasket sections are of a ilexible rubber which is easily deformed against the door frame during the sealing position of the doors. The gasket 28 is provided with a coextensive rear anchor portion 31 and a cylindrical portion 32 which at its outer circumferential edges is provided with a plurality of coextensive thin lip portions 33 as best shown in FIG. 5. The sections 20, 21 and 22 are provided, as indicated in FIG. 4, with vsa52.4811

suitable coextensive anchoring recesses 34 which tightly iiat strap 38 is integrally formed with the terminal end portion 35 and is of the same material as the gasket 28. As best shown in FIG. 1 the lower strap 38 extends upwardly and the upper strap 38 extends downwardly. Each strap 38 is provided with a lip 39 projecting in the direction of the door opening 16. A pedestal 40 is integrally formed with the tapered end portion 37 and extends upwarly with respect thereto being provided with a vertical wall portion 41 and a transversely extending flange 42 which is molded to the vertical strap 38. The terminal por.-

tions 35 are identical, simply being reversed as shown in FIG. l. As best shown in FIG. 2 the strap 38 is disposed flush against the side 27 which terminates to provide an opening 271 at each end. The terminal end portions 35 extend through the openings 271 and the straps 38 are tightly held against the side 27 to keep the three sided gasket 28 in tension and thus securely in position. With the provisions of the anchoring portions 31 and anchoring recesses 34 and the tension arrangement shown in FIG. 2

the three sided gasket 28 is electively secured against disl placement during use.

Each terminal end portion 35 also is interlocked and connected to a replaceable sealing iiap generally designated at 43. As shown in FIG. l the sealing flaps 43 are provided adjacent the upper and lower right hand corners of the auxiliary door 19 and the construction is identical, the same merely being reversed. Each sealing ilap 43 includes a relatively thin section 44 of relatively tough nonelastic plastic, said section 44 being of a constant crosssectional dimension extending from one edge 45 to at least the side 27 and continuing thereafter through the opening 271 into engagement with the pedestal portion 40 of each terminal end portion 35. Thus the area of the section 44 from the side 27 to the right hand edge 45 as shown in FIG. 2 should -be substantially of a constant cross section to provide a better and more effective seal when engaged by the gasket of the second plug door 26 as will presently be described.

The flap 43 is constructed of a flexible plastic known as injected neothene having a durometer of 90, a tensile strength of 4,500 p.s.i. minimum, with an ultimate elongation of 530% minimum, and a compression set of maximum. It is available from Goodyear Rubber Cornpany; identified as Composition SM 21010.

The flap 43 also includes a transversely extending ange or section 46 which overlies the flange 42 of the pedestal 40 as best shown in FIG. 2.

.The sealing ap 43 is also provided with a connecting extension or portion indicated at 47. This portion 47 is shown in FIG. l, and in the case of the lower flap extends upwardly and, inthe case of the upper flap, extends downwardly, each connecting portion 47 including a recessed edge 48 and being provided with openings 49 through which fasteners 50 are provided for securely connecting the connected portions 47 to a flange 71 which extends outwardly from the side 27. This flange 71 as best indicated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 has a lower edge 72 as shown in FIG. 2, terminating short of the lower frame member 14 and an upper edge 73 as shown in FIG. 6 terminating below the upper frame member 13. The surface of the ange 71 to which the connecting portions 47l are attached is substantially in the same vertical plane as the vertical surfaces of the frame members 13 and 14. i

As best shown in FIG. 5 the ap 43 has its connecting portion 47 provided with a cutout as indicated at 51. The cutout 51 in the assembled position of the ap 43 to the terminal end portion receives in interlocking arrangement the projecting lip 39 of the strap 38.

The second'door 26 is built`similarly to the auxiliary door 19 and is provided with an upper section 52 and a lower section 53. Side sections 54 and 55 suitably connect the upper and lower sections 52 and 53 and these are suitably connected t o a door wall 56. The ,sections 52, 53, 54 and 55 are provided attheir'upper edges with peripheral gasket-carrying surfaces about which a four sided Irubber gasket 58 is secured. The gasket 58 is of the same construction as the three sided gasket 28 and includes an anchor portion 59 which is'suitably'secured in an anchoring recess 60, best shown in FIG. 3, which is coextensive with the sections 52, 53, 54 and 55.

The auxiliary door 19 and second door 26 include conventional type plug door operating mechanisms generally designated by the referencecharacters 70. Ihese mechanisms 70 are conventional in the art and need not further be described in detail. The doors generally, by means of the mechanism 70, are supported on upper and lower tracks 18, only the upper track being shown in FIG. 1. Generally the movement of the doors, on actuation of the plug door operating mechanisms 70, is outwardly laterally from the dooropening 16 and'theri the doors may `be moved in sliding relation parallel along the side wall 11 ofthe car. During closing they are slidingly moved into position ,with the auxiliary door.l 19 rst being positioned in place and`- then the second door 26 is moved into position wherein a vertically extending portion of the gasket `58 overlaps the flange 71 and the flaps 43 in sealing relation. The mechanism 70 is effective to force `thev doors inwardly so that the gaskets 58 are tightl squeezed against the sealing edges to be sealed.

-1 In the closed position` of the auxiliary door 19 the gasket sections 29 and 30 are in sealing engagement with portions of the upper and lower frame members 13 and 14' respectively and side frame members 15 to provide an effective seal. The thin-sealing sections 44 are snug up against the upper and lower frame members 13 and 14 in overlapping relation. The second door 26 is now placed in position to completely close the door opening 16 and in this position the four sided gasket 58, as shown in. FIG.-v 1, has its upper `and lower gasket portions and the right hand vertical gasket portion in sealing engagement with the remaining unsealed portions of the upper frame member 13, lower frame member 14 and side frame member 15. The left |hand vertical portion of the gasket 58, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, at its corners engages the thin sections 44 in sealing relation, the same being tightly pressed against the upper and lower` frame members 13 and 14. The remainder of the left hand gasket section of FIG. 1 is now in tight sealing Vrelation against the liange 71 and thus the entire opening is effectively sealed.

, -As above indicated the straps 38 serve to maintain the gasket 28 secured in tension by its engagement with the side 27, since they straddle the openings 271 as best shown in FIG. 2. Thestrap 38 further provides, by means of its lip 39, and its interengagement with the cutout 51, an interlockingl connection with the llap 43. Further the flange 46 overlies the flange 42 in the assembled positionlas best shownin FIGS. 2 and 4 providing interlocking engagement 'with respect to the str-ap 38.

One o f the` important advantages of the invention is that the corner seal flaps 43 may be made of a dissimilar material relative to the rubber gasket 28. lFor the gasket 28 it is desirable to have a tiexible elasticrubber material, but these same qualities are not desired for the corner sealing flap`43. The corner sealing flap 43 is preferably made of a lStiff nonelastic material such as indicated above. Whereas rubber has a tendency to tear, the above plastic is`Y relatively impervious to tearing. The position of the aps 43` relative to, the door opening Vis such that they arev frequently'` subject to blows, abrasion, etc. during the loading of cargo and during train operation. A rubber flap would easily tear and would require frequent replacement and effective seal lwould not be accomplished. The aforementioned plastic material will not readily tear and therefore may be utilized for long periods of time without requiring maintenance. |In the event one of the flaps 43 has to be replaced it is a simple matter to merely take out the fasteners 50, disengage the flap 43 from interlocking relation relative to the terminal ends 35 of the gasket 28 and replace the same.

Further the novel interlocking elements described provide for an effective seal permitting the flaps 43 to be readily removed and replaced when desired. The thin flat constant cross section of the element 44 affords better sealing of the auxiliary and main doors, and the opening, at the corners of the doors adjacent the upper and lower frame members 13 and 14. Since the element 44 is relatively thin and of constant cross sections it provides an effective seal preventing moisture penetration. The seal is also tear-resistant and substantially nonelastic. This is afforded by the plastic construction heretofore described.

The foregoing description and drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate the invention and the invention is not to be limited thereto, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be'able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of `the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A sealing arrangement for a railway car having a side wall including a frame, said frame having four vertically disposed peripheral edges defining an opening in said side wall, comprising:

first and second doors movably supported on said side wall and being positionable in adjacent aligned relation over said door opening to close'the same,

said first door having on a side disposed adjacent to said second door an outwardly extending vertical flat flange, and on its other three sides peripheral gasket-carrying portions,

said outwardly extending flat flange of said first door in the closed position of said door being disposed within said opening and having an outwardly facing surface disposed in the plane of said peripheral edges,

said second door including on four sides peripheral gasket carrying portions, a four sided deformable gasket connected to said four portions of said second door,

a three sided deformable gasket carried by said gasketcarrying portions of said first door and including upper and lower terminal portions positioned adjacent to s'aid vertical flat flange,

upper and lower corner seal flaps respectively connected to said terminal portions,

said seal flaps each comprising a flat relatively thin seal element of tough, resilient material of substantially constant cross section projecting outwardly of said terminal portions and said flat flange, and in the closed position of said first door, being disposed flush against adjacent upper and lower peripheral edges of said iframe,

each flap including a connecting portion overlying said flat flange,

means releasably securing each connecting portion to said flange,

said second door in the closed position having certain corner portions of said four sided gasket engaging said seal element in relative sealing relation, and the remaining portion of said gaskets engaging said peripheral edges and said flat flange in sealing relation,

said connecting portion and seal element each having one sunface in substantially the same plane, and said connecting portion being substantially of greater thickness and having its other surface substantially offset with respect to the other surface of said seal element.

2. A sealing arangement in accordance with claim 1,

said gaskets and said terminal portions comprising a -6 rubber-like material, and said seal element being of `a nonelastic plastic material and having tear-resisting properties substantially greater than said gaskets.

3. A sealing arrangement in accordance with claim 1,

each of said seal flaps being removably connected to a respective of said terminal portions.

4. A sealing arrangement in accordance with claim 1,

said side of the first door including a vertical wall ad` jacent to and substantially normal to said flat flange, said wall having upper and lower openings at said terminal portions,

each said terminal portion projecting in said wall opening and including a vertically extending member eugaging and being retained in said position by said wall.

5. A sealing arrangement in accordance with claim 4,

each said vertically extending member comprising a at strap lying flat against said wall, and means removably interlocking each flap with a respective strap 6. A sealing arrangement in accordance with claim S,

said removably interlocking means comprising a recess in each said flap connection portion, and a projecting element on each said strap mating with said recess.

7. A sealing arrangement in accordance with claim 6,

each said terminal portion of said gasket including a raised pedestal portion disposed inwardly of said side within said first door, and

said seal element each having a section extending inwardly through said side and engaging said pedestal portion in interlocking relation.

8. A sealing .arrangement in accordance with claim 6,

each terminal portion of said gasket including a raised pedestal portion disposed inwardly of said side within said first door, and

said seal element each including a projecting flange extending inwardly through said side and engaging said pedestal portion in interlocking relation and overlying said pedestal portion.

9. A sealing arrangement for a railway car having a side wall including a frame, said frame having four vertically disposed peripheral edges defining an opening in said side wall, comprising:

rst and second doors movably supported on said side wall and being positionable in adjacent aligned relation over said door opening to close the same,

said first door having on a side disposed adjacent to said second door an outwardly extending vertical flat flange, .and on its other three sides peripheral gasketcarrying portions,

said outwardly extending flat flange of said first door in the closed position of said door being disposed within said opening and having an outwardly facing surface disposed in the plane of said peripheral edges,

said second door including on four sides peripheral gasket carrying portions, a four sided deformable gasket connected to said four portions of said second door,

a three sided deformable gasket carried by said gasketcarrying portions of said first door and including upper and lower terminal portions positioned adjacent to said vertical flat flange,

upper and lower corner seal flaps respectively connected to said terminal portions,

said seal flaps each comprising a flat relatively thin seal element of plastic material of substantially constant cross section projecting outwardly of said terminal portions and said flat flange, and in the closed position of said first door, being disposed flush against adjacent upper and lower peripheral edges of said frame,

each flap including a connecting portion overlying said flat flange,

means releasably securing each connecting portion to said flange,

said second door in the closed position having certain corner portions of said four sided gasket engaging said seal element in relative sealing relation, and the remaining portion of said gaskets engaging said peripheral edges and said fiat flange in sealing relation,

said side of the first door including a vertical wall adjacent to and substantially normal to said flat ange, said wall having upper and lower openings at said terminal portions,

each said terminal portion projecting in said wall opening and including a vertically extending member engaging and being retained in said position by said wall,

each said vertically extending member comprising a flat strap lying flat against said wall, and means removably interlocking each flap with a respective strap,

said removably interlocking means comprising a rel 'I each said terminal `portion of said gasket including a raised pedestal portion disposed inwardly of said wall v within said first door, and said seal element each having a section extending inwardly through the openings of said wall and engaging said pedestal portion in interlocking relation. 10. A sealing arrangement in accordance with claim 9, said section of each said seal element including a projecting ange overlying said pedestal portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,179,984 4/1965 Bailey 49-220 3,226,780 1/ 1966 Landis 49-368 3,371,445 3/1968 Herr et al 49-485 X Us. c1. Xn. 

